Archived Entries
January 2009
The True Cost of Buildings - How the Construction Industry must face up to its environmental responsibility
Did you realise that 47% of the UK's carbon emissions are from buildings?
The construction industry faces a massive challenge in helping the Government meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
According to the Federation of Master Builders:-
- Construction uses approximately 6 tonnes of materials for every year man, woman and child in the UK
- Construction and demolition produce more than 80 million tonnes of waste each year -10% of which is unused in building materials
- 50% of the UK's energy consumption results from construction (10%) or during the life of the building (over 40%)
- 47% of UK carbon emissions are from servicing buildings
The facts speak for themselves and the construction industry must face up to its responsibilities of reducing both waste and carbon emissions.
In its defence, change is beginning to take with many bold initiatives being rolled out including small hydro electricity generators or straw bale technology for example.
Who knows, one day, the straw bale house may no longer be the preserve of fairy tales.
Green Energy - Hurry! Get Your Renewable Energy Grant Before Government Funding Stops
It is no coincidence that more and more of us are turning to renewable energy sources as a means of heating and lighting our homes. In less than 7 years, energy prices have literally gone through the roof having increased by more than 130%. Whilst we all recognise the potential benefits that a wind turbine or indeed solar panels can offer, there remains one stumbling block, the capital outlay for such a system. For example, a wind turbine may set you back between £3,000 and £5,000 to install while solar panels to heat your hot water may cost in the region of £5,000. We can all agree that in these economic belt-tightening times, these figures are not insignificant. However, help is at hand. In its drive to encourage us all to "do our bit", the Government offers its Low Carbon Buildings Programme www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk which can provide funding for part of your installation costs if you can demonstrate that your home is eligible. In order to be able to demonstrate this, you will have to show that:-
- The loft meets the current Building Regulations on insulation
- Your cavity walls have been insulated
- You have fitted low energy light bulbs throughout the property
- Your heating system features a room thermostat and a timer
Before you must also demonstrate that:-
- That any necessary planning permissions have been sought and are in place.
- If you are wishing to apply on-line for a grant, you will then be required to obtain a quote from a certified installer.
Remember that household grants are allocated on a first come first serve basis and the scheme will continue until the funding has run out. Whilst you can apply for a grant for more than one renewable energy generator, the maximum grant available per household is £2,500.
| Renewable Technology | Potential Grant (whichever is lower) |
| Ground Source heat pump | Maximum £1,200 or 30% of eligible cost |
| Solar Panels (hot water) | Overall maximum of £400 or 30% of the relevant eligible costs |
| Wind Turbine | Maximum £2,500 or 30% of eligible costs |
| Photovoltaics | Maximum £2,500 or 50% of eligible costs |
| Small Hydro | Maximum £2,500 or 30% of eligible costs |
| Wood-fuelled boiler systems | Maximum £1,500 or 30% of eligible costs |
| Automated wood pellet-fed room-heaters/stoves | Maximum £600 or 20% of eligible costs |
Where do I go from here?
If you are keen to pursue this, why not contact the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 for further guidance.
Your Driveway and the Planning System - There is more to it than simply Blocks and Mortar
In these times of economic belt tightening, it is often those "I can do jobs" that become a reality. Yes, with the correct materials and a level of competence, any person can lay a new concrete driveway or indeed asphalt it. However, as of 1 October 2008, homeowners must use permeable paving if replacing existing, or installing new drives or pathways in their front gardens. If you don't use a permeable system or water cannot soak into the ground via another means, all hard surfaces with an area over 5 sq metres will require planning permission. Please remember that ignorance is not a defence and it is the homeowner's responsibility to ensure that this is the case under the new planning rules. Whilst you may not recognise this, a failing to receive planning permission may come back to haunt you if in years to come you wish to sell your property (see the Frequently Asked Questions section).
If you feel you are not confident in undertaking such a project, as the old adage goes "cheap may not always be the best". Therefore, if you are tempted by an offer in the local paper or other means, "which is too good to be true", why not take a moment to check the credentials of that company? It is your property and your responsibility to ensure you have met the new regulations in terms of the materials used, method of construction and any planning requirments. For further information on this, you can contact Interlay - the Independent Trade Association for Block-Paving Contractors who can help you find an approved contractor at www.interlay.org.uk.
Let us know your experiences both good and bad when it comes to driveways.
One Easy Step to A Warmer Home
Without loft insulation, your money could quite literally be going through the roof. Did you know that without loft insulation, you could be losing as much as 15% of your heat through your roof?
Despair not, as part of its £900m package to help homeowners, the Government hopes to provide an extra 25,000 UK households with free or half price insulation. Those that will benefit include pensioners and low-income families who are eligible to free installation. In order to find out if you are eligible, check the criteria set out at www.freeinsulation.co.uk and once you have done this, you should contact the National Insulation Association to get the work done by visiting www.nationalinsulationassociation.org.uk. With all good schemes, there is a catch... it is estimated that the NIA only has the capacity to complete work on 2% of eligible properties so don't delay.
Did you know that most heat loss from traditionally constructed homes is via the walls? It is estimated that up to 33% of heat is lost through walls but this can be addressed by fitting cavity wall insulation.
If you have had your loft insulated through this or any other scheme, please let us know.
Is Housing Equity Withdrawal a Thing of the Past?
With house prices continuing to fall and recession upon us, our habit for cashing in on the value of our properties in order to fund spending has stopped. Quite simply, housing equity withdrawal is when we take out bigger mortgages extracting the money from the value of our properties in order to fund major purchases. Instead, we are paying down our debts rather than adding to them.
According to recent Bank of England statistics for the period between July and September 2008, a second successive negative reading was shown in respect of housing equity withdrawal. During this period a staggering £5.7bn of equity was put back into homes compared to £2bn put back in the second three months of the year.
The turnaround is simply breathtaking when you consider that in the first three months of 2008, £5.6bn of housing equity was withdrawn and an eye watering £11.1bn withdrawn in July to September in 2007. This tends to prove that we are concentrating on repaying our mortgages rather than adding to them. In the good times when house prices were on the up, raising extra cash in this way was fairly risk free (providing property prices continued to rise and you were in a position to continue with your mortgage repayments). Now that the economy is showing cracks wider than the San Andreas Fault, our attitude to equity release is changing albeit for the short term.
Have we learned our lessons or will our passion for equity withdrawal return as soon as the good times roll into town once again? Only time will tell.
